You’re Doing so Much Better than You Think You Are

If one of the spiritual gifts is having a pity party, then the Holy Spirit blessed me immensely.

But for real.

Last night, I was feeling sorry for myself, wishing something had gone differently and beating myself up for not knowing ahead of time exactly what I should have done. Then the feeling sorry for myself morphed into being envious of someone else, and before I knew it, I was just the most pitiful little whiney-baby you’ve ever seen.

Over nothing important.

I felt like a failure, but the truth is that I didn’t really fail.

I felt less capable than someone else, but the truth is that I’m not.

I felt I should be doing more and doing it better, but those are just words I told myself.

In actuality, I’m doing OK. I’m doing better than I thought I was in the midst of that pity party.

Jon Acuff writes in his new book, Finish, “That’s the thing about failure. It’s loud. Progress, on the other hand, is quiet. It whispers. Perfectionism screams failure and hides progress.”

I have always lived with the tantalizing illusion of perfection mocking me. The perfect body, the perfect home, the perfect kids and perfect marriage. The perfect answers, the perfect friendships, the perfect job and perfect ministry. And when perfection stayed out of reach, the mocking cry of “failure” rang loudly in my ear.

Who am I kidding? It still does.

The thought of failure is loudest, and the reality of progress just whispers.

But you know what? I’m doing better at most things than I think I am. And so are you. Let’s cut ourselves some slack. Let’s push back the pursuit of perfection and welcome the promise of progress.